Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

Global
Breaking news

Lorenzo: Ducati felt winglet loss more at Phillip Island

Ducati recruit Jorge Lorenzo says the absence of MotoGP’s now-banned winglets was more evident during the Phillip Island pre-season test than at Sepang.

Jorge Lorenzo, Ducati Team

Jorge Lorenzo, Ducati Team

Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Jorge Lorenzo, Ducati Team
Jorge Lorenzo, Ducati Team
Jorge Lorenzo, Ducati Team
Jorge Lorenzo, Ducati Team
Jorge Lorenzo, Ducati Team
Jorge Lorenzo, Ducati Team
Jorge Lorenzo, Gigi Dall'Igna, Ducati Team
Jorge Lorenzo, Ducati Team

The aerodynamic devices pioneered by Ducati are banned for the 2017 season, with Yamaha, Suzuki and Aprilia all having rolled out new fairing designs in a bid to recoup the lost downforce - although Ducati is expected to keep its solution secret until the Qatar season opener.

Lorenzo completed his first test for the Italian marque at Valencia last November with winglets fitted, before running without them at Sepang and Phillip Island in recent weeks.

Noting that the impact “depends on the circuit”, the three-time MotoGP champion said the absence of winglets was particularly noticeable last week at the fast and flowing Australian track, where he was eighth-fastest on the final day.

“At Sepang we didn't feel the difference so much, but [at Phillip Island] you feel it, especially with the wind,” said Lorenzo.

"In sixth gear the front starts moving and you need to cut [the throttle] earlier. Sepang was more stop-and-go and we didn't feel it so much.

"It's obvious that the Ducati was the most advanced in that sense and with the new rules it lost one of the advantages it had.

"We'll have to have a different bike to make up for that and not lose so much when turning."

Still learning his new bike and having admitted “something is still not right”, Lorenzo finished the three days at Phillip Island 0.793 seconds off the pace set by his Yamaha replacement Maverick Vinales.

However, the Spaniard was only one spot and 0.094s behind Ducati teammate Andrea Dovizioso, and said much of the deficit to the frontrunning pace was down to the specifics of the circuit.

“We've made a lot of progress, that's clear, especially on the final day,” he said. "It's very hard to change the old habits and I assume it will take less time every time.

"This bike requires the opposite riding style, but once you understand that you make a step forward. With new tyres the bike was also working much better. But on this track all the Ducatis struggled. 

“It's a track where you are going full throttle only on the straight, which is our biggest advantage. It's also the bike that suffers the most from the wind. We don't turn the same way as the others.”

Additional reporting by Oriol Puigdemont

Be part of Motorsport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Vinales hits out at Marquez for following him on long run
Next article Rins: I feel like a real MotoGP rider now after Phillip Island

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

Global